Furniture housing for a portable sewing machine



March 13, 1956 o. BERKER 2,738,248

FURNITURE HOUSING FOR A PORTABLE SEWING MACHINE Filed May 22, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet l March 13, 1956 o. BERKER 2,738,248

FURNITURE HOUSING FOR A PORTABLE-SEWING MACHINE Filed May 22, 1952 A 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 & I

0170 BER/FER March 13, 1956 o. BERKER 2,738,248

FURNITURE HOUSING FOR A PORTABLE SEWING MACHINE Filed May 22, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOIQ:

flew/r52 91M 4 M l/Ik 4 011 United States Patent FURNITURE HOUSING FORA PORTABLE SEWING"MACHINEv Otto Berker, Zurich; Switzerland Application May 22,.152, Serial No. 289,399

Claims priority, applicationSwitzerlaudFebruary 25, 1952 Claims. ((1312-29) Another object is to create a novel'mechanism, Wherei by the sewing machine maybe conveniently brought in either one of the two working positions, or returned into the furniture housing. In this endeavor a' two-armed locking lever is actuatedbyacontrol lever, to set the locking lever for supporting the carrier of'the sewing machine and on the other hand at a reciprocating manual movement of the carrier to rotate the locking arm of the locking lever out of the rail passage for the carrier guide roller.

In the following the invention is more particularly described with reference tothe'accompanyingsdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation throughthe furniture housing, showing the sewingmachine therein.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary"sectionedelevationkthrough the furniture housing, showing thesewingmachine in one working position.

Fig. .7 is a cross-section throughthe-furniture housing,

showing the carrier and t'he counter-weight.

Fig. 4 is a section on: the"line IV'-lV'of. Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a detail pertainingto Fig. 2: Fig. 6 is a detailpertainingto Figl 5.-

Fig. 7 is also a detail pertainingrto Fig; 5, showing the locking lever held in a position by: the control lever where the carrier roller can move past the'locking lever in downward direction.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary 'largeiscale'sectionalview taken on the same secant line'. as Fig. 3,.but showingrthe parts in a second, topmostielevated position wherein. the:base of the sewing machine is flush with theoperating table. And

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary larger scale sectional view similar to Fig. 8, illustrating a detail indicated in Fig. 8, but showing the parts'during lifting of thesewing machine as one of the rollers clears the-locking lever immediately precedinga subsequentloweringoffthe sewing machine to rest the rolleron the locking-:leven.

There is provided a cabinet 1 which has side walls supporting a Working plate or work table. 3 that has an opening 2. A cover 4 is hinged'to the table 3 and may be tilted about the hinge axis between an open position (Fig. l), and a closed position wherein thecover 4 covers the aperture 2.

On the interior of the housing, there are provided corner-pieces 5 which are parallelito thexrear Wall of the cabinet 1, and a partition 6 (Fig.4), is mountedto the corner pieces 5 parallel. to the rear wall of the cabinet 1. On the front of the partition6 there are mounted two vertical steelchannelsfl facingteach other-with their": open "ice 2. fronts, and each channel-7 is mounted to the partition 6* with one of its flanges. The twochannels 7 form guiderails for a carrier 8 that includes a carrier plate9. The carrier plate 9"l1as curbed edges 9" to'receiveandto'sup port the base Not a sewing-machine 11 thatincludes=an= arm 12 that is supported on one endand freely suspended on the other. The arm 12 hasxahorizontal tOpsurfa'ce which includes a conventionalstitching plate'(not shown).

The carrier S incIudes'vertical'elements, each. adjacent a channel'7, and eachvertical element'carriestwo rollers 13 that are spaced from each other for a vertical'distance; The rollers 13 are guidedon the'interior of the chann'el '7. The vertical distance between then-rollers 13" of'each channel 7 corresponds to the vertical-distance betweena topmost sewing position (Fig. 8), whereinthe' top surface of the base 10"is flush with the'working surfaceof the table 3 and, respectively; an intermediate seW-ing=position (Fig. 2), wherein the top surface ofthe free arm 12 in-- cluding the stitching plate is flush with'the working surface of the table 3. There is a third position providedforthe sewing machine 11', namely a concealed position (Fig: 1) wherein thesewing machine is loweredinto the in-- terior of the cabinet 1'.

Below each roller 13-there ismounted on thecarrier 8 a tiltable control lever 20 pivoted about a pin 22'to an" extension 21 that is secured to the carrier 8. Each control lever 20 is urged'bya spring 23 into a horizontal position wherein it abuts from below 'against'an abutment pin 24. There are thus provided'two rollers 13 andtwo control levers20 for each channel 7-, making atotal" of four rollers 13 and four control levers 20for the entire cabinet 1. The rollers 13 of each channel 7 are spaced' from each other for the same distance, and the axes-of the lower rollers of both-channels 7 coincide, andrespevtively the axes of the upperrollers 13 of both channels 7 also coincide.

At a predeterminedheight there is pivoted to each'of the channels 7 a locking lever or latch 17, that cooperateswith the rollers 13 andthe control levers 20 0f its channel 7. Each latch.17 isitiltabl'elabout a pin l6 and is dis-- posed in a slot-15 thatiextends through the flange of' the' channel 7 oppositely relative to the partition 6 and through a plate" 14 that isrsecured on that opposite 'flange. The-pin 16 is bornelaterallyof the-latch 17 in th'e pl'at'e 14 on both sides.of theslot 15;

The latch 17 ismovedibetween a-horizontal= position (Figs. 6 and 8) wherein itslmajor partiprojects into the" pathof the roller 13 on the-interior of'the channel-7 and, respectively; a verticalpositionKFig. 7) wherein the'latcli 17 clears that path. The:latch:17 includes anextensionor projection 17 that projects in'the horizontalposition (Fig. 8) into the path ofithe'control-lever 20- and, respectively, in the vertical position (Fig. 7) clears the path of"the-con-" trol levers 20. On the extension. 17 there is mounted a" pin 18 that abutsin the horizontal positionEof the' latch 1'7 (Fig. 8) against thefrontzsurface. of the plate14and thereby limits the rotational movernentof the latchlTim the downward direction. (counter-clockwise: of Figs. 6 and 8). A spring 19- biases the.thelatch17- to benormal ly in the horizontal position.

During lifting of the carrier 3, from the. lowermost position (Figs. 1 and 3) in which the sewingmachine ll; is concealed in the cabinet '1, the top rollerflS of each of the channels 7 will firststrike from below the latch 17. that projects into the roller path to move the latch 17 out of the path for passage of the top roller 13 upwardly. Following that'passage; the spring 19 will return the latch 17 from the verticalposition into the horizontal position, asbesttshown in Fig. 9. During continuedlifting of the carrier 8, the.uppencontrol-lever 201will subsequentlyustrike:theprojection 17 andwillb'e tilted down wardly, against-the :forcecfthe: spring '23 during passage past the extension 17' and will following that passage resume its position in abutment from below against the pin 24 under the bias of the spring 23. During continued further upward movement of the carrier 8, the lower roller 13 will first displace the latch 17 from its horizontal position, and subsequently the lower control lever will be displaced downwardly, for passage of the lower roller 13 and the lower control lever 20 past the latch 1.7.

If it is desired to lift the sewing machine 11 only to the intermediary position (Fig. 2), the lifting movement will be discontinued after the top roller 13 has cleared the latch 17 (Fig. 9), and the latch has been returned by the spring 19 to the horizontal position; at that instant, the operator will lower the sewing machine 11 until the upper roller 13 rests on the top surface of the horizontally positioned latch 17 (Fig. 6). If it is desired to lift the sewing machine 11 to the topmost position (Fig. 8) the lifting is continued until the lower roller 13 clears during its upward movement the latch 17, and the machine ll. is then lowered until the lower roller 13 comes to rest on the top surface of the latch 17.

In order to lower the sewing machine 11 from either working position, it is necessary to raise the carrier 8 until a control lever 20 passes from below the extension 17. Thereafter, a lowering of the carrier 8 will cause that control lever 20 to turn the extension 17' and therewith the latch 17 into the vertical position. The contact surfaces between the control lever 20 and the extension 17 during the downward movement of the carrier 8, as best shown in Fig. 7, are so arranged that the abutment will still be active when the roller 13 associated with that control lever 20 will be in position to block the return movement of the latch 17, and will thus clear it during downward movement. If it is desired to lower the machine 11 from the topmost position (Fig. 8) into the concealed position (Fig. 1) the latch 17 will first be turned by the lower control lever 20 and thereafter by the upper control lever 20, though the latch 17 will between the downward passage of the lower roller 13 and the striking between the upper control lever 20 temporarily return to its normal horizontal position.

Although the foregoing has been described with the elements pertaining to one of the channels 7, it Will be understood that corresponding parts will simultaneously be operated in connection with both channels 7.

Guide-rollers 26 are fastened to a plate of the carrier 8. The guide-rollers 26 are in guiding contact with the back side of the channel; better guidance of the carrier is established by these additional guide rollers 26, limiting the lateral play of the carrier to a minimum.

To balance the weight of the carrier with the machine, a counter-weight 27 moving on rails 29 by means of rollers 28 is provided. The counterweight is situated on the back-side of the partition wall 6, and by means of cable 30 guided by rope sheath 31 is connected to the carrier 8. Filler pieces 34, consisting of two parts, fill out the space between the free arm of the sewing machine and the edges of the opening 2; this condition is created when the sewing machine assumes the position indicated in Fig. 2. The pieces 34 are suitably supported at their corners by fittings 33. When the machine is raised into the second working position, the fillers 34 must be removed.

lkaising of the machine from the furniture housing is facilitated by the counterweight 27. At this operation the locking lever 17, 17 is rotated out of the passage of the rollers 13 against the force of the spring 19. The machme may be raised into the first or second working positlon. At the first working position the stitching plate 18 flush with the surface of the top plate of the furniture housing. This is shown in Fig. 2. from this position the machine may be raised further into the second working position (Fig. 8), where the base 10 of the machine is brought into the opening 2 of the plate 3:, and the machine is positioned to be used by the convenience of its free arm 12.

To lower the machine from the first or second working position into the inside of the furniture housing, said reciprocating movement described above must be per formed.

I claim:

1. In a cabinet, for use in connection with a sewing machine having a free arm including a stitching plate on the top surface of said arm and a base below said arm, in combination, a frame structure defining on its interior a hollow chamber and including a horizontal apertured table defining on its top a work surface, vertical guide rails positioned in said chamber, a carrier supporting said base of said sewing machine and guided by said rails and being movable vertically in opposite directions to move and to support said sewing machine between a concealed position within said chamber, a topmost position wherein said base is disposed in said aperture and an intermediary position wherein said stitching plate is fiush with said work surface, and a mechanism operable for releasably supporting said carrier in either of the last named two positions comprising a latch connected to each rail, and means connected to said carrier and movable therewith including a guiding element and a control element for each of said two positions for each rail, said latch being movable between a normal active station wherein it projects into the path of said elements and operable to support either guide element from below and respectively a release station wherein it clears the paths of said elements, each guide element being operable to move during raising said latch to the inactive station, and each control element engageable with said latch to move the latch to the inactive station during lowering movement, each control element being arranged below its guiding element whereby during raising the latch will be displaced by a guiding element and during lowering movement the latch will be displaced by a control element for passage of said guide elements.

2. In a cabinet as claimed in claim 1, said guide rails including two channels facing each other with their open sides, each latch including a latching element projecting into the interior of a channel and including an extension on the channel exterior, said guide elements including rollers disposed on the channel interiors, and said control elements including tiltable levers spring biased to clear said extension during upward movement.

3. An arrangement in a furniture housing for a sewing machine, according to claim 1, wherein other rollers in guiding contact with the outside of the rail are fastened to the carrier to minimize lateral play of the carrier in respect to the rail.

4. In a cabinet as claimed in claim 1, said frame structure including a rear wall, a partition parallel to said rear wall disposed in said chamber, said rail guide being mounted on said partition, and counter-balancing means including a weight and a pulley, and a cable suspended between said carrier, said pulley and said weight, said weight being movable in the space between said rear wall and said partition.

5. An arrangement in a furniture housing for a sewing machine, according to claim 1, wherein the carrier has a mounting plate with curbed edges for the portable sewing machine, to permit of easy mounting and demounting of the latter.

Refer 'ences Cited in the file of this patent 'UNITED STATES PATENTS 298,277 Bolton May 6, 1884 300,684 Bolton June 17, 1884 651,665 Johns June 12, 1900 1,778,510 Richardson Oct. 14, 1930 2,575,045 Chason Nov. i3, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 346,562 Great Britain Apr. 16, 1931 

